The Days We were In Love
by V. Lohengrin
Summary: Please recall the past, the days we were in love...


Pairing : Alan Humphries X Eric Slingby

Rating : K+

Genre : Romance / Angst

Prompt : Myth

Summary : Please recall the past, the days we were in love...

Disclaimer : This fanfic contained scenes from Kuroshitsuji the Musical II: The Most Beautiful Death in the World. I translated the scenes from Chinese subbed videos together with my friends. The Chinese and Korean lyrics are from The Myth OST: Endless Love while the Japanese lyrics are from Shinigami Haken Kyoukai no Theme (The Shinigami Dispatch Society's Theme).

Credits:

(1) Leah

(2) Shin

(3) Salviaso

(4) Krietz

(5) The owner of the translations of the scene is Vivianmagic: http:/forums (dot) blackbutler (dot) net/member (dot) php?3879-vivianmagic

(The numbers in the end of each part marks the translators of the scenes.)

(6) Kuroshitsuji the Musical II: The Most Beautiful Death in the World owner

(7) Kuroshitsuji the Musical II: The Most Beautiful Death in the World Chinese subbed videos owner

(8) Jackie Chan & Kim Hee Soon's The Myth OST: Endless Love (神话) and the Chinese translation

(9) Shinigami Haken no Theme (The Shinigami Dispatch Society's Theme):

BlackButlernet: http:/forums (dot) blackbutler (dot)

Original source: http:/forums (dot) blackbutler (dot) ?810-Kuroshitsuji-Musical-2-The-Most-Beautiful-Death-in-the-World-Lyrics-amp-Translations

Translators: Nayama (http:/forums (dot) blackbutler (dot) ?7-nayama) and Spacecat (http:/forums (dot) blackbutler (dot) ?2-spacecat)

(10) The Korean hangeul and romaja is provided by my fantastic Korean friend, Kim! (*^^*)

* * *

><p><strong>「<strong>**现****在****紧****抓住我的手****闭****上眼睛**」** **

**이제 ****나의 ****손을 ****잡고 ****눈을 ****감아요**

**[Ije naui sonul jabgo nunul gamayo]**

**(**_**Now hold my hands tight, close your eyes**_**)**

"Alan... Alan...?"

He looked into Eric's eyes and tried to tell him that he was alright. He wanted to tell him to stop murdering humans for him.

But his body would not obey his will. He could feel his soul slipping out from his body as the cinematic record flew out from his body.

_Don't cry, Eric... I'm alright_.

He never quite had the chance to tell him that before he left.

No, all he could manage was a weak smile. And the last thing he heard was Eric calling out to him.

*(1)*(2)*

**穿越****时****空决不低****头****永不放弃的梦**

_**(Passes through the time, never surrendering; the dream will forever be never given up)**_

He could not recall the first days of his new life. His memories started from following his boss, William T. Spears, to meet his new tutor.

"Mr. Slingby had never had apprentices before, but he is one of the best reapers here. I believe he will do his best to teach you everything."

"What about... my condition?" he asked in small voice.

The taller reaper stopped and turned around to face him. "Since you wished it to be kept secret, I will respect it. But do not overwork yourself, since it will just make them go deeper even faster. Understand?"

He nodded weakly. "Yes, Mr. Spears. Thank you."

His boss then continued walking and stopped in front of a door, where a name board with the name 'Eric Slingby' was hung on.

"No more paperwork, Spears," the man inside the office groaned when William stepped inside. "I'm busy enough as it is."

"No, Mr. Slingby," William agreed. "I didn't come here to give you more paperwork."

William then stepped inside to reveal him to his new tutor.

The man behind the desk was a manly blonde with familiar green eyes, and the moment his eyes landed on him, he did not stop staring at him. And that made him nervous and stared down at the marble floor instead.

"What do you want, Spears? I mean, who is he?"

William turned to him. "Alan Humphries, this is Mr. Eric Slingby, your tutor."

"_What?_"

To the gaping tutor-to-be, William announced, "Mr. Slingby, Mr. Humphries will be your new charge."

Eric had indeed, never had apprentices before. He was not really sure what he was supposed to do, so he decided to tell Alan everything about their job and taught him everything he knew.

According to some of his co-workers, Eric Slingby was a cold, short-tempered ladies' man. Better not to get into his nerves.

Days passed by and he found none of the warnings were true.

Eric Slingby was indeed a competent reaper. And even though he appeared to be cold outside, he always looked after him and gave him a hand whenever he needed help. Sometimes when they were alone, he smiled and chatted to him.

After sometime, a tiny hope bloomed in his heart.

He would try his best to look for a cure for his sickness because he wanted to stay beside Eric longer and become a reaper like him.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*(5)*

**让爱****成****为****你我心中那永****远****盛开的花**

_**(Let the love in our hearts be the eternally blossoming flower)**_

He thought that their relationship was strange. Sometimes they were like tutor and apprentice, which was how it was supposed to be. Sometimes they were like close friends. Sometimes, they were like... more.

"Why are you pulling that long face, Alan?" Eric had asked him, when they were together in a garden full of purple flowers after he had come back from submitting the report.

"The victim this time is still young. He could have fight for his dreams. If he had gone to the other place on the other time, he wouldn't have gotten into the accident," he explained. "If I had warned him, he wouldn't have..."

Eric looked up in surprise to him. "Are you crying, Alan?"

No, of course, because that'd make him worried. He was sad, because it reminded him that he probably could not stay by his side forever too.

"Flowers?" he had said instead, smiling broadly at the bunch of flowers near his feet. "These are Erica flowers!"

He thought that the flowers were similar to him. He had to keep a distance from everyone, including Eric, and it made him felt so lonely.

And then when he explained the meaning of the flower to Eric, he scolded him.

"The moment they're born and die they might be alone; but, just like these Ericas, there'll always be other flowers by their sides, forever blooming..."

_Is Eric saying what I think he is trying to say?_

It sounded like... Eric was telling him that he would be forever by his side.

But it seemed like he was thinking too much.

"Eric-senpai, you actually liked to act cool, huh?" he opted to laugh softly instead.

"Well, we have to act cool sometimes," Eric shrugged.

There was a strong wind blowing behind them then, when they were about to leave.

"Oh, the petals are swept by the wind! It looks like it's snowing!"

"Yes. It is."

If he had the chance to stay by his side forever, then perhaps he would tell Eric that he loved his smile a lot someday.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*

**「我****们连****"****爱****你"****这****句****话****都无法****讲**」** **

**서로 ****사랑한단 ****말도 ****못했었네요**

**[Seoro saranghangdan maldo motaesseonneyo]**

_**(We could not even say the phrase "I love you.")**_

Time passed by and even he himself could not deny that they were no longer tutor and apprentice. They were not ordinary friends. They were very close friends, if not lovers, and nothing could make him happier than that.

Eric did not seem to mind it, either.

The only thing that stopped him from going to Eric and telling him that he loved him was his sickness. Secretly he continued to look for the cure, hoping that he could find anything he could try.

"Only with a thousand souls there's a way to exchange death, using pure souls..."

He thought that he had hearing disorders he never discovered. "_What?_"

"If you can collect a thousand pure souls, you can release the thorns from the victim of Thorns of Death. But that's just a fairytale..."

The silver-haired man laughed and it crept the daylights out of him.

"No one's ever tried that before," the Undertaker continued, "so I don't know if it works."

It was not like he could even consider. A thousand pure souls, just to heal his sickness?

He did not want to think how Eric would react when he found out what he did.

With his shoulders slumped and his last hopes destroyed, he mumbled a weak 'thank you' and went back to his chambers, curling himself on the sheets of his bed and cried.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*

**「****请****你回想****过****去我****们****恋****爱****的日子****」******

**우리 ****사랑했던 ****날들 ****생각해봐요**

**[Uri saranghaettteon naldul saenggagkaebwayo]**

_**(Please recall the past, the days we were in love)**_

He intended to stay close to Eric for as long as possible and keep his sickness from him. By then it was obvious that they loved each other, they were both happy and he did not want to break it.

He loved him a lot, the blonde called Eric Slingby. Even if they could not be together for eternity, he was grateful that he was given the chance to meet and love him.

But then again, there was always the presence of fate to interrupt their happiness.

He had forgotten that he had done more work than he usually did. It was their last fieldwork for the day that day, and his body gave out to his sickness.

The pain was too much for his exhausted body to bear, and all he saw before he passed out was Eric's panicked face.

When he woke up in the infirmary, Eric was asleep on the chair next to his bed; his hands holding tightly into his and his head lied on his lap.

"Don't...," he mumbled softly in his sleep, "...don't leave me... Alan..."

He could not help the tears that flowed.

He had known that he would be alone; he would always be alone. He had known that that was his fate and he had learnt to accept it.

_Then why is it so painful?_

Gently, he ran his fingers through the golden curls and shook Eric gently, to wake him up and tell him that he was alright.

Eric's eyes opened tiredly, and when he saw Alan was awake and crying, he drew him into a tight hug and gently wiped his tears away.

"You should've told me, Alan," he mumbled against his hair. "You should've told me."

"I... it's useless. I don't want to make you worried..."

"I could look for a cure. We... we can find some way to cure you..."

His tears flowed again and we wrapped his arms around Eric. "I-I've tried everything. I s-searched everywhere. I couldn't find it... b-because there is none..."

When Eric leaned in and kissed him, his heart hurt more than ever to see Eric's tears.

"We will work something out, Alan. There must be away. There must be."

Then he hid his face in the crook of his neck, so that he would not see him cry.

"I won't allow you to leave me, Alan. Never."

For the rest of the night he slept in Eric's arms; and when Eric told him that he loved him too, his tears flowed like it would flow for eternity.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*

**「我****们****是****应为****太****爱****所以更使得我****们****痛苦****」******

**우리 ****너무 ****사랑해서 ****아팠었네요**

**[Uri neomu saranghaeseo apaseonaeyo]**

_**(It is because we loved each other too much, we were hurt)**_

One of the nights, when they laid side by side sleeping, Eric suddenly called out to him in his sleep.

He had been so surprised that he was awakened from his sleep, and even more so when he discovered the tears flowing from his sleeping lover.

He had decided to wake Eric from his nightmare, and indeed, the first thing he did was hugging him close and kissed him.

"It's just a nightmare, Alan..." Eric mumbled against his neck when he asked him.

From what Eric screamed in his sleep, he knew that what Eric saw was more than just a nightmare to him.

**「我****们****千万不要忘****记****我****们****的****约****定****」******

**우리 ****소중했던 ****약속 ****잊지말아요**

**[Uri sojunghaetton yagsog ijjimarayo]**

_**(We shouldn't forget our promise)**_

He thought that sometimes Eric seemed like he was hiding something from him, something very important that he should have known. But he could not figure out what it was and Eric refused to say a word about it.

He decided that he was thinking too much and dismissed the thought from his mind.

When William assigned him to solve the case 666-4242, "The Uncollected Souls", he had thought that Eric looked more surprised than he should have been. Of course, despite his protests, William had agreed to let him help solving the case and nothing he did could stop Grell Sutcliff from joining them.

When they met the demon butler for the first time, he just could not forgive his words to Eric that he forgot about his sickness and attacked him. Eric was there, telling him to stop, but he just could not. Until the thorns reacted.

"Why do you have to pretend that you're stronger than you really are?" Grell yawned.

When he heard that, he swore that his heart stopped beating for a second.

"He's infected with Thorns of Death. He, a reaper who originally wouldn't die unless from fatal injuries. Those sweet painful thorns will slowly go into his body until the moment his life ends~"

He had no idea that Grell was also aware of his condition, nor how.

"A reaper who controls life and death is now suffering from an incurable disease that would go into his heart. Thorns of Death..."

He had never spoken the name of the curse before.

"An immortal reaper who would one day go to his death, isn't it funny?"

He did not know what had possessed his mind to make him said those.

"How long do you think it will take until the thorns reach my heart? A month? A week? Three days?"

It was scary. He was scared. He did not want to die so soon. Not since he met Eric. He wanted to live a little longer and stay together with him.

"Death is so scary. So painful, so unbearable... as if my heart was torn apart. In particular, it makes me feel so... lonely."

He never missed the hurt that flashed through Eric's eyes, and it hurt his heart more to see Eric hurting.

"I... had always admired you. You are more competent than anyone else. Not only this! Although you look as if you don't want anyone to get closer, you always quietly looked after those working under you, and gave them a hand whenever they needed help..."

Because he knew that that was true, especially him to him.

"I want to become a reaper just like you. But... how come..."

Eric had scolded him and told him to get some rest, which he did.

And the next day, everything turned out so unexpected. He would never believe the demon's words if he did not see Eric's cinematic record with his very eyes.

"How could it be? Why? What's going on here, Eric!"

He was so hurt that Eric actually went out killing humans and kept it from him. No, he would find Eric and demand the truth from the blonde himself.

He did, but Eric had already added two more pure souls into his collection.

"Collecting the souls of the women, what are you up to?"

He tried to figure out why Eric would do such a thing. He knew Eric, and he knew that he would not do such things just for his pleasure. But then again, his strength then was nothing compared to him, and he had let him escape once again without explanations.

When the young Earl Phantomhive received the invitation to the Crystal Palace Opera, he had recognized the human as the one who was together with Eric. That would mean that Eric was there. He would be there to talk to him, even though he had to dress up as a woman.

When Eric saw him in the dress, he knew that Eric was very surprised. But then, it was hardly his concern.

"Eric! Why do you keep repeating your mistakes?"

When he looked into Eric's eyes, he thought that he knew the answer.

"Risking everything, you collected the souls just for a certain someone. How can I ever understand the depth of your sincerity?"

The dread hit him hard and he knew that he had made the correct guess.

After the dread, the next that hit him was fear. Fear that he would lose Eric to something other than his sickness, so with all his might he chased after him.

"Eric! You're collecting the souls, aren't you?"

The blonde stopped running, looking defeated.

"Tell me, why do you have to collect the souls? If you truly needed the souls, then take mine along!"

"Alan... Don't do anything stupid. Stop!"

"It's okay. This soul wouldn't live long anyway." Confidently he pointed his death scythe to his heart, ready to pierce his life away from him.

"I told you to stop!"

He was there in instant, forcefully taking his death scythe away and threw it aside.

"If you die, then all I did will be meaningless!"

"Eric... I did think of the possibility... so it's true, then?"

"Only with a thousand souls there's a way to exchange death, using the pure souls... I heard of that before. If you can collect a thousand pure souls, you can release the thorns from the victim of Thorns of Death. But... is that not just a fairytale?"

Eric grabbed his shoulders so tightly that it hurt. "All that's needed is a thousand souls, Alan, and you can be saved."

"But that's just a fairytale..."

"Even if it's just a fairytale, it's the only way I knew to save you now. I... no matter how small the chance is, all I can do now is try..."

He could not doubt Eric's sincerity to find a cure for him. He never will.

"The immortal life... Our immortal lives are dark. Now that... now that I have found the small, weak light..."

That was what he saw from Eric's eyes, wasn't it? How come did he not realize it sooner?

"Eric... I won't let you kill people anymore. But... until the moment when the last light of my life fades, let it shine on yours."

Was that not what he wanted, to be somebody's light? How can he refuse to be the light of Eric's life?

"The light will be your guide, so that even when I disappear someday, it could forever shine on your path ahead..."

If saving Eric was the last thing he could do, he would.

_[Rule number one! All reapers must wear glasses!]_

_(Sono ichi! Shinigami wa megane chakuyou no koto!)_

_[We are exemplary reapers. Always punctual! Who is late? Who~?]_

_(Mohanteki na shinigami desu. Jikan no genshu! Chikoku wa dare? Da~re?)_

And then he took his glasses off, something he had never done unless he was going to sleep at nights.

"W-Why...? Why do you also want to leave Reapers Dispatch Association?"

No, he would not leave nor stay without him.

"This case is yet to be ended. You had always been... my partner."

No. He was more than his partner. A lot more than that. And Eric knew that.

"So we can't see clearly without glasses, can we? Your face is blurry..."

"I've never seen clearly, too." Eric said.

He stared at him confusedly.

"Never seen that you're actually such a stubborn brat." Eric continued, and took off his tinted glasses.

"So... let's go."

"But can I, who disobeyed the rules, really be on the same path with you again?"

It broke his heart to hear that from Eric's mouth.

"Did I not tell you that we can't see clearly without glasses? All the sins you committed until today... you can no longer see them clearly."

How he wished everything could be as easy as he said.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*

**唯有真****爱****追随你我穿越无尽****时****空**

_**(Only the true love that followed you and I passes through endless time)**_

"I'm sorry, Alan. I can't... I really can't give up... your life..."

He could only silently cry from where he was resting when he heard that.

"But can you feel it, Mr. Eric? While you kill the humans, you will radiate the death aura that grows stronger and stronger in the end."

_Please stop, Eric. Please. Don't kill the humans anymore._

"And then, Mr. Alan would blame himself. All of his is meaningless."

_You've done more than enough, Eric... I'm not worth it..._

"Alan surely couldn't forgive me, could he?"

_How could I not forgive you, Eric?_

"But even so, this is my friendship."

It was no longer friendship. It was... their love.

"Friendship? It's so useless. The only thing that could be trusted is contract."

Demons did not understand anything about love. He did not think they would ever do.

"It seems like you had collected quite some souls, had you not? The souls you collected in Crystal Palace Opera exceeded seven hundred souls. It's very close to the sum of souls you're gathering."

"Thanks to you it's just one more left."

What?

"It's too bad. Taking a fairytale as truth. Since you've gathered that many souls, let's not let your efforts be wasted. So then, Mr. Eric. If you die here, you'll get the thousandth soul."

He tried to go to Eric's side as he fought the demon.

"I accept your kindness, but it doesn't work that way."

"How so?"

"Because my soul... isn't pure anymore!"

He did not know that he was blaming himself that Eric did that or being sad to be so sure that had Eric's soul been pure he would indeed sacrifice himself in order to save him.

"Eric!" he finally managed to use his voice again. "Did you not hold on to your promise to me? For my sake, did you add up your sins again?"

Eric fell onto the ground panting and did not answer him. "One more... one more soul is all I needed. One more soul and Alan's can be saved."

Beside him, out of Eric's vision, the demon had lifted his death scythe and prepared to stab it into him.

"STOPPP!"

"Alan..."

"Why are you still saying things like this?" he sobbed. "Can lives be compared?"

Eric was not listening to him. "Is there not still a soul here?"

They both looked up to see the young human there.

"Ciel Phantomhive... your soul will be..."

_Eric, you've done more than enough for me. You really have._

He would not let Eric commit another sin again.

"Alan... Alan...? Alan!"

For the last moments of his life, Eric was by his side.

That was more than he could ever ask for.

*(1)*(2)*(3)*(4)*

**「****请****你回想****过****去我****们****恋****爱****的日子****」******

**우리 ****사랑했던 ****날들 ****생각해봐요**

**[Uri saranghaettteon naldul saenggagkaebwayo]**

_**(Please recall the past, the days we were in love)**_

He wondered if Eric knew that his words that day, at the Erica garden, meant so much to him.

_"The moment they're born and die they might be alone; but, just like these Ericas, there'll always be other flowers by their sides, forever blooming..."_

In a way, Eric was telling him that he would be by his side forever.

That had given him the courage to struggle and continue to live so that Eric could stay by his side.

_I love you, Eric. I really do. I know that you knew; I just want to say it again so you didn't doubt._

**爱****是心中唯一不****变****美****丽****的神****话**

_**(The love in our hearts is the only unchanging beautiful myth)**_

He opened his eyes to find that he had woken up in another realm.

"Is this heaven?" he wondered aloud.

"No," a voice from the sky answered, scaring the lives out of him. "This is just another realm after death."

"I-I see," he said nervously.

"Very soon, your friend shall join you. Do not worry." The voice kindly informed.

"W-What? Eric? Eric will... die?" he asked disbelievingly.

Instead of getting answers, the ground he was standing on cleared and went transparent and he could see what was going on in the human realm.

It broke his heart to see Eric crying on his dead body.

"If you died, then why did I... what's the thousand pure souls in my hand any good for?"

A tear escaped.

"Boy, are you angry to him?"

He turned to where he thought the voice came from. "No."

"Even though you knew that he broke his promise to you?"

He knew that he could not be angry to Eric.

"He broke it for my sake," he whispered. "He was just trying to save me."

Eric and the demon were talking, but he could not hear it.

Until...

"Kill me, demon. Kill me."

"NOOOOO!" he screamed. "NO, ERIC, DON'T!"

"Your friend cannot hear you," the voice said.

"N-No, please, don't let Eric die..."

"He chose the path of his life," the voice lectured wisely. "He chose to die and join you in the realm of the dead, rather than continue and live in the world without you."

If it had been him, he would have chosen that path too.

He could only watch helplessly as the demon lifted his death scythe, saying something to Eric and the blonde replied him. His tears actually flowed again when he witnessed Eric's death.

And then, as the voice had promised, Eric was there again.

They cried and kissed and hugged. They would no longer have to worry about collecting souls, doing paperwork, or Thorns of Death—they had disappeared from Alan's body.

They know that this time, they would be together for eternity.

* * *

><p>AN: For my friends and readers, especially my translators, thank you so very much! XD

Enjoy! ^^/


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